Pulp mill fight moves into MPs' backyards

MORE than 50,000 copies of a magazine article that spurred
businessman Geoffrey Cousins' crusade against a proposed Tasmanian
pulp mill will be delivered to households in the electorates of the
Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and his Labor counterpart,
Peter Garrett.

The campaign, estimated by one industry insider to cost at least
$100,000, will be paid for by Mr Cousins and a growing legion of
eastern suburbs identities who have rallied to his cause.

These include the merchant banker Mark Burrows, former Ascham
School headmistress Rowena Danziger, former tennis star John
Newcombe, film director Phillip Noyce and actors Bryan Brown and
Rachel Ward.

The actor Cate Blanchett and her husband, the playwright Andrew
Upton, are also supporting the campaign but joined too late for
their names to appear in local newspaper ads, which will also start
running this week.

When Mr Cousins began his campaign last week to stop the
Government speeding up approval for the controversial $2 billion
mill, he cited as inspiration an article in the May edition of the
Monthly magazine, by Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan.

The 8500-word article, Out of Control: The Tragedy of Tasmania's
Forests, is an assessment of the destruction of old-growth
forests and the influence of the logging company and builder of the
proposed mill, Gunns, on the state Government.

The article has been reprinted 55,000 times as a full-colour
12-page book and volunteers will deliver them throughout Wentworth
and Kingsford Smith, the electorates of Mr Turnbull and Mr Garrett.
A spokesman for the campaign was unsure yesterday whether the
booklets were printed on recycled paper.

Mr Cousins said his decision to extend his campaign to include
Mr Garrett was a recognition that Labor's position was essentially
the same as that of the Government: that the mill should be built
only if it meets strict environmental safeguards.

"The environment should not be a party political issue," Mr
Cousins said.

"The fact that the shadow minister refuses to unshackle himself
means that we have to bring it into focus for him."

Mr Garrett did not comment yesterday but has said the assessment
process instituted by Mr Turnbull was not rigorous enough. Mr
Turnbull expressed "grave concerns" about the mill at the weekend,
but stressed yesterday that he would make no final decision until
the 10-day period for public submissions expired and an assessment
by the chief scientist, Jim Peacock, and a panel of experts was
completed.

The Tasmanian Greens will release legal advice today which will
claim the initial approval process was flawed.